Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-26
1t Was Not His Residence.
New York World.

If the W orld will excuse me for intro
duclng a purely personal matter, I
would like to make an explanation at
this time which concerns me, of course,
more than any one else, and yet it ought
to be made in the interests of general
Justice also. l refer to recent article
published In western paper and hand
somely illustrated in which among others
find picture of my residence.
The description which accompanies
the cut, among other things goes on to
state as follows:
1.-The structure is elaborate, massive
and beautiful. It consists of three
stories, basement and attic, and covers q
large area on the ground. It contains
an elevator, electric bells, steam heating
arrangements, baths hot and cold, in
every room, electric lights, laundry, fire
escapes, etc. The ground consist of at
least i've acres, overlooking the river for
several miles up and down, with fine boat
ing and private fishpond of two acres
In extent, containing every known var
lety of game fish. The grounds are
finely laid out in handsome drives and
walks, and when finished the establish
ment will be one of the most complete
and beautiful in the Northwest
No one realizes more fully than I the
great power of the press for good or
evil. Rightly used the newspaper can
make or unmako men, and wrongly used
1t can be even more sinister. / might
say, knowing this as do, want to be
right before the people. The above is
not correct illustration Or description
OF my house, for several reasons. In the
first place, it is larger and more robust
IN appearance, and in the second place
1t has not the same tout ensemble as my
residence. My house is less obtrusive
and less arrogant in its demeanor than
the foregoing, and it has no elevator in
it.
My house is not the kind that seems to
crave an elevator. An elevator in nv
house would loose money. There is no
popular clamOr for one, and if 1 were to
put one in would have to abolish the
dining room. 1t wonld also interfere
with the parlor.
have learned recently that the CORES
pondent who came here to write up this
matter visited the town while / was in
the south, and as he could not find me he
was at the mercy of strangers.
A young man who lives here and who is
just in the heyday of life gleefullY con
sented to show the correspondent my
new residence not yet completed. SO
they went over and examined the new
Oliver Wendell Holmes hospital, which
will be completed in June, and which OF
course is a handsome structure, but
quite different from my house in many
particulars.
For instance, my residence is of a diff
ferent school of architecture, being
rather on the Scandinavian order, while
the foregoing has tendency towards
the Ironic. The hospital belongs to a
very recent school, as l may say, while
my residence, in its architectural methods
and conception, goes back to the time of
the mound builders, time when Gothic
hole in the ground was considered the
magnum bonum and scrumptuous
thing in art. If the reader will go around
behind the above building and notice IL
carefully on the east side, he will not dis
cover dried coonskin nailed to the rear
breadths of the woodshed. That alone
ought to convince an observing an that
the house is not mine. The coouskin
regardant will always be found emblazon
ed on my arms, together with a blue
Goddess of Liberty and my name in
green India ink
Above give rough sketch of my
house. Of course 1 have idealized it
somewhat, but only in order to please
the eye of the keenly observant reader.
The front part of the house runs back to
the time of Polypus the First, while the
l., which does not show ia the drawing,
runs back as far as the cistern.
In closing, let me say chat I am not
finding fault with any one becapse the
above error has crept into public print,
for it is really a pardonable error after
all. Neither do I wish to be considered
as striving to eliminate my name from
the columns of the press, for Lo one
could be more tickled than I am over a
friendly notice of my arrival in town or
timely reference to my courteous bear
ing and youthful appearance, bat want
to see Oliver Wendell Holmes Hospital
succeed, and so I come out in this way
over my own signature and admit that
the building does not belong to me and
that, so far as / am concerned, the man
who files lien on it will simply fritter
away his time.
SQUIBS.
a.